Narcan Nasal Spray Saves Dozens From Overdoses In Suffolk County

A Suffolk County police officer demonstrates the administration of Narcan (credit: Josh Hagermann)

A Suffolk County police officer demonstrates the administration of Narcan (credit: Josh Hagermann)

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – Some people on Long Island owe their lives to the police and a small tool they have.

51 lives have been saved in the past six months in Suffolk County because police officers who have also been trained as EMTs have used the nasal spray Narcan to revive men and women who overdosed on drugs.

“At that point, the patients begin to cough and begin to regain consciousness and sometime are agitated as they wake up. By the time the ambulance gets, they usually usually frequently are talking,” the police department’s Dr. Scott Coyne told WCBS 880 reporter Sophia Hall.

Narcan Nasal Spray Saves Dozens From Overdoses In Suffolk County

“The cases that we have seen have mostly been heroin and in towards the younger population” he said. “We’ve had one or two victims that have required a repeat dose – a second incident – but many of the patients do seek treatment, realizing how close they came to death.”

Coyne told Hall that me many of the people who have been saved were actually blue in color when the officers arrived.